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AMS Users Group Elects James T. Armitage 2009 President

Posted on 02 Apr 09

James T. Armitage, CPCU, AAI, principal of Arroyo Insurance Services Inc. of Arcadia, California, has been elected president of The AMS Users Group.

Armitage, an insurance salesperson since 1981, specializes in commercial lines. The founding partner of Arroyo Insurance Services and its first president in 1986, Armitage currently heads the agency's Strategic Planning Committee.

Armitage began his insurance carrier as a commercial underwriter and marketing representative with Aetna Casualty & Surety Company in 1978 and earned the Chartered Property and Casualty Underwriter designation in 1986. He holds a degree in business administration with a minor in marketing and international management from the University of Southern California.

In an address at the National Conference, Armitage called on independent agency leaders to "dream, dare and do."

"We must dare: Dare to be different, dare to be uncomfortable, dare to listen to different voices," Armitage added. "Real change never comes in conventional packages. It comes when we allow ourselves to think differently about the things we thought we knew." He pointed to independent agency system achievements such as implementing AMS TransactNOW in a year’s time; and helping millions of homes and businesses recover after Hurricane Katrina.

Calling AMSUG "an objective and trusted resource for the industry," Armitage called upon members to meet the challenges of providing "world-class education in both traditional and innovative ways," enhancing AMSUG's brand by communicating its strengths; and working with like-minded industry groups, such as ACT, AUGIE and the Real Time Campaign. He called for action: "We'll need to move beyond our best-laid plans and our best intentions to take our best shot. We'll need to commit resources and time."

The AMS Users Group represents more than 15,000 independent insurance agencies that use AMS Services agency management systems. The Group's main objective of influencing the future of agency automation is accomplished through various education, member service and advocacy programs.